Farmers Market
by SailorCopperOwl
Summary: "Really, Mr. Chiba? Mr Kuhn can describe your life two years ago in astounding detail. Astounding. He remembers things that he can't have made up, things that you would never have noticed yourself. But he can't tell reality apart from hallucinations. This condition also makes him very dangerous..." 'You don't want me to find Kunzite, because you know I'll take his side.'
1. Slime with a lawyer

**A/N: In fanfiction, we've seen a lot of Shitennou from all ends of the Anglophone world, and I love them all. But I didn't want to write one of those. I wanted to tell a Shitennou story in Germany. **

**It won't go the reincarnation path. Carbon copy reincarnation is canon in Sailor Moon, but I'm not happy with it. So, I started collecting ideas... writing drafts... then there was the Shitennou forum ficathon, and I had a reason to polish out the scene that was the very first spark that hit me when I got into this idea: their first accidental meeting in town.**

**Perhaps one warning applies: This story moves slowly (even in this form which is already speeded up from what I had in mind)**

**You'll see the events through the eyes of Mamoru and Usagi. They don't have a lot of information, so neither will you, please be patient.**

**It will also update slowly. It's currently my most favourite and main story, but I'm doing a lot of material collecting, and it only slowly forms into chapters.**

**Storyverse and PGSM-verse: We're two years after PGSM. Since their last encounter in the world of the dead, Mamoru has neither heard or seen anything of his Shitennou.**

_**If you've never seen PGSM, here's a short overview over things that can help you with this story: (Attention, spoilers!) **_

_**Mamoru meets all his Shitennou, and once he remembers they were his guardians, Queen Beryl uses that memory to blackmail him into coming to the Dark Kingdom, threatening that she will kill the Shitennou if he doesn't. So he joins the Dark Kingdom with the intent of saving the Shitennou. This is not met with great approval from Kunzite who blames Mamoru for betraying them in the past, and Jadeite, who is loyal to Queen Beryl and makes several attempts to kill Mamoru on her behalf. In the end, Mamoru/Endymion decides to take on Metallia on his own, losing miserably, with Kunzite and Jadeite making things considerably worse by interfering.**_

_**In the last act, all four Shitennou meet Mamoru in the dimension of the dead, telling him to live a new life for their sake, promising they will always be with him and come when he needs help. They seem to stay behind when he does.**_

**So, have fun, and please review! If you have questions, ask away, I'll be happy to answer them!**

* * *

"Hello?"

"Hello, am I speaking with Mr. Mamoru Chiba?"

_He's a cop._

It only took Mamoru one second to be extremely suspicious of that person who had called him. His time as Tuxedo Kamen had taught him to tell friend from foe by gut feeling, and this was no friend. Spoke English with an accent Mamoru couldn't place, but the heavily laid on smugness and sugary sweetness couldn't be concealed by any accent at all.

"Yes. And you are...?"

"My name is Dr. Strobl, I'm a lawyer. I'm calling you from Germany, and it is very well possible that a friend of you is in big trouble. It would be very helpful of you to answer some questions to clear up some doubts that we have about your friend."

_Calls me on my cell phone from Germany. _

_Makes me ask for my friend's name._

_Caution, Chiba. Something's very wrong here._

"If he's a friend of mine, I'll be happy to help him. Who is it?"

Mamoru swore he could hear the smile on the other end of the phone connection.

"Do you know a man named Karl Kuhn?"

"No."

"Are you certain?"

"Yes. Is he in Germany? Why do you think I know him?"

_Probably from London?_

"Because he seems to know you very well. Very well indeed. He seems to know you on an, let's say, intimate level. He can give details about your life in Tokyo that he could only have if he was a friend of yours, a very close friend. The thing is, he might well be making them all up. He might be nothing but a big liar. And in order to find out if that's the case, we'd like you to confirm a few facts for us."

_Who calls their client a big liar?_

"Excuse me, Mr. Strobl."

"It's Dr. Strobl, please. We want to be polite, don't we?"

_Is he trying to annoy me on purpose? That trick doesn't work on me. _

"Am I getting you right, you want me to give you intimate details of my life while you already assume that your client is lying to you?"

"Oh, I think we have misunderstood each other here. Mr. Kuhn is not my client. My clients are the parents of a young girl, who have every reason to believe that Mr Kuhn is a danger to her. And from what we know about him so far, this can be considered almost a fact.

For example, he has confessed to stalk a fifteen year old girl and force her into an abusive relationship, and we still aren't clear if he did so out of sexual attraction or because he wanted her, as he calls it, 'senshi powers'. He violently attacked her when she resisted his advances. Also, he's convinced that a certain time ago, he killed you. Cut your back open with a sword and watched you bleed to death in the arms of your underage girl-friend."

Ice-cold shock hit Mamoru.

_Kunzite!_

_Is he alive again? Is he in Germany? Is he in trouble? What the hell is he doing there to get him in this kind of trouble? Hunt down girls? Unlikely. Impossible. Absolute bullshit. Just warming up old tales from the Dark Kingdom. What has he gotten himself into? And why doesn't he call me, but this guy does? Something's wrong._

"Mr. Chiba?" grinned the oily voice of the lawyer. "Are you still there? What do you say to that?"

_Caution, caution, caution!_

"Well... I'm alive. I'm pretty certain I'm alive... after all, I'm talking to you."

"Yes, you are, Mr. Chiba. You are. Are you certain you never got attacked by a sword to your back?"

"There's not a scratch on me of any sword, I assure you. I'm still wondering about Mr Kuhn's identity. Do you know if he used a different name while he was in Tokyo? Maybe he chose a Japanese name for easier pronunciation. Maybe I know him under a different name."

"Mr Chiba, I'll be totally honest with you now."

_Great, why only now? _

"I'm glad to hear that, Dr. Strobl."

"Personally, I have no doubt that Mr Kuhn has met you before, that your encounter has been very, hm, close. I have no doubts that many of the things he knows about you are true. The question is, when did he meet you? He says that it's more than eight years ago that he last travelled to Japan, and hasn't been there since.

But then, the informations he has revealed about you dates no further back than two years.

So if you're saying that you don't know him, and he's saying he more or less knows every step you did two years ago in Tokyo, but he denies he's been there in person, we have a bit of a contradiction."

"He says he hasn't been to Japan, I say I haven't met him here. I don't see the contradiction, Dr. Strobl, I'm sorry."

"Really, Mr. Chiba? Mr Kuhn can describe your life two years ago in astounding detail. Astounding. He remembers things that he can't have made up, things that you would never have noticed yourself.

Mr Chiba, you'll have to agree that the circumstances are very mysterious. What makes Mr Kuhn such an interesting witness is is that he can't tell reality apart from hallucinations. He's officially been diagnosed with a condition that makes him believe he's a different person, a mystical warrior, and that his actions are controlled by demons. This condition also makes him very dangerous..."

_Someone who thinks he's Kunzite? Shin?_

"... and what's worse is that he targets other schizophrenic people who he thinks are his allies, or his enemies. My clients have a seventeen year old daughter, and this dangerous man is trying to take control of her. They are very, very worried what could happen to her. People he has targeted before have ended up in hospital, Mr. Chiba. You can certainly see the situation is serious."

_People he has targeted before... allies or enemies... what the hell is Kunzite doing over there?_

"I'm sorry, Dr. Strobl, but I still don't see how I could help you when I don't remember that I've ever met the man you're talking about. Perhaps I could identify him if you sent me some photos."

"Well, Mr. Chiba, I'm afraid I can't do that. You have to understand that we don't want you to contact Mr. Kuhn."

_I have to understand? Is that so? I think I understand too well. You have something to hide that you don't want me to talk to that Mr Kuhn about. You don't want me to find Kunzite, because you know once I hear his story, I'll take his side. You bet I will. Because it will be side opposing yours._

"Dr. Strobl. Please tell me if I understood you right. You say you believe that Mr. Kuhn is one of my closest friends, and at the same time you believe it'll take you to show me a picture of him to make me contact him because otherwise I wouldn't know who he is. What kind of a story is this? I think if you can't give me a really good reason to entrust any personal information to you, this conversation is over."

"The safety of a young girl is at stake. Doesn't this concern you at all?"

"I only have your word for it that she even exists. And why would the information if Mr Kuhn has met me in Tokyo or not be so vital for a girl in Germany?"

"Because we're trying to find out how dangerous Mr. Kuhn is. Would you say he's a violent man? Did he ever do something to scare you? Did he ever attack you? Did he ever attack young girls? How often? Would you say that this is his typical pattern of behaviour?"

"How would I know? I don't even know who you're talking about?"

"Do you know a person that could fit this description? Have you in the last two years met such a person, Mr. Chiba?"

"No."

Do you remember waking up at a planetary one day, without remembering how you got there?"

"No."

"Do you remember the briefcase you were carrying that day?"

"No."

"Do you remember being ambushed in the streets that day, by a man with a sword?"

"No."

"Did you ever have a girlfriend that was fifteen years old or even younger?"

"What?"

"Are you certain you never were involved in a series of jewel thefts in Tokyo? Robbing stores, wearing a mask and a tuxedo?"

"Excuse me?"

"Maybe I should ask the police of Tokyo these questions."

"I'm sure they yearn to hear the testimony of a man who hasn't set foot into the country but can give evidence from eyesight. How come Mr Kuhn can claim to know me from the other side of the planet and be believable enough for you to call me and ask me all these questions? What is it about him that you aren't telling me?"

The man on the other end of the line laughed his over sweetened laugh.

"I don't think there's much about him that I'd have to tell you. You know exactly who I'm talking about, Tuxedo Kamen. I can't get you for the jewel thefts, but you bet I can get you. Two years ago, you had an underage girl friend at the same time that Mr Kuhn speaks of having magical powers over a Japanese girl which is an incredibly unsettling coincidence, don't you think?

Now we have a huge problem with Mr Kuhn being way too interested in young girls again. If you don't have anything to do with Mr Kuhn and his problems, then you'll have to help us."

Mamoru now positively hated this phone call and the false guy at the other end. But he needed a bit more time, and more information. Luckily, he had had his laptop open at the beginning of the phone call, and now he tried to get some information on this guy.

The searching engine had already found a page of the law firm.

And hey, there were some findings on Karl Kuhn as well.

Newspaper articles.

This guy was in the news.

Not for assaulting young girls though.

Karl Kuhn was in the news for saving the planet.

"I don't think I have to do anything. I don't think you've been honest to me in any way. But thank you for pointing me towards this situation. That was really interesting to hear about, and I'll certainly keep an eye on it."

"Mr. Kuhn is a convicted criminal!"

"Yes, but chaining himself to a railroad in an act of political protest isn't the same as chaining down a girl."

"I see you know him well enough."

"The internet is an amazing thing, Dr. Strobl. I one second it told me more than you'd think."

"He kidnapped your girlfriend, Mr. Chiba. He undressed and dressed her like a doll. He tried to strangle her. How does that make you feel? Could it be you liked it? How does it feel to imagine he might do the same with another girl?"

_That does it. This phone call is over._

"You have a pretty disgusting imagination, Mr. Strobl, and if you base your whole case on things that Kunzite did in subspace dimensions, good luck. I'd like to see the court that gives a shit about that. Don't ever call me again."

"It won't be necessary. You've been very helpful. Very helpful indeed. Good-buy, Tuxedo Kamen, and good luck to you, too."

Click.

It took Mamoru five minutes not to feel like he was covered in green slime or wanting to yell and throw things any more.

But when his head cleared again, the next cold water bucket hit him.

_Kunzite._

_I said Kunzite._

_I confirmed his stories. _

_Damn!_

_What did I get Kunzite into just now?_


	2. Tea with Minako

There was such a thing as private investigators in Germany. They had internet sites, too.

Mamoru easily found one who spoke English, accepted credit cards, didn't mind faxing his results to Japan and took less than two days to find Karl Kuhn and cover his biography.

Including the times Karl Kuhn had spent in psychiatry for thinking he was a magical warrior, or in a plaster cast for crashing his car while his mind was thousands of miles and thousands of years away.

* * *

"He's a political activist, and a gardener," Mamoru told Minako. It was amazing how mentioning the Shitennou had cleared a space in her busy schedule for meeting him in the cafeteria of her studio. Mamoru wasn't happy about it. Lots of people. Fortunately, they were used to see famous idol Aino Minako around and left them alone. Still, Minako looked tense and would have to guard her expressions.

"He has a nursery. He lives there with four other people who he met two years ago when he had been diagnosed with schizophrenia because he thought he was someone else. Someone magical. He thought he was Kunzite."

"Kunzite!"

"Yes. And the others seem to have had 'the same problem', as the report puts it. They all seem to have had hallucinations about being in the Dark Kingdom two years ago."

"While we've been fighting the Dark Kingdom..."

"Exactly. And I think I said something careless that could get him in trouble."

"Hm, so... I guess you want me to have a look at him when I go to Europe next month?"

"Erm, no, I'll do that myself. But I wanted to ask you if you could take Usagi with you."

"Eh?"

"Well... we're engaged... but she's 17... Her parents wouldn't allow her to travel to foreign countries with me... and she'd miss school... but you have private teachers... and body guards... so..."

"You're not seriously going to introduce her to a guy you think is Kunzite? He could be dangerous."

"We need to do this together. I've already told her about it, and she agrees. It was her idea actually. And I don't think Mr. Kuhn is dangerous. The information that I have about him all says he's a responsible person."

Minako had to digest this. She was playing with her tea spoon.

Mamoru was waiting. He knew he could have brought Usagi and let her floor Minako with big smiles and a ton of emotions. He could still do that. But for now, he wanted her to think about it cool and rationally. At least one person involved had to, and he knew it certainly wasn't him.

Although, judging from the clouded look in Minako's eyes, he wasn't too certain about her either.

"And the others?"

"Well, I have photos. One of them is a musician. But... they're guarding their privacy. Mr. Kuhn is in the local news a lot because he's into politics, so he's easy to gain information on. But the others... I don't want to scare them off by nosing around in their lives. I don't want to be an intruder. What if they don't want to see me?"

"Why wouldn't they want to see you? Of course they want to!"

"Hm, I don't know. The thing is... I've been talking to Mr. Kuhn on the phone."

"Really? That's great! Did he know who you are?"

"Yes. He did."

Minako watched Mamoru's expression.

"How did it go?" she asked softly.

Mamoru put on a little smile and sighed.

"Not so bad, I guess. He wasn't yelling at me or so."

_'Do you need our help, Mr Chiba?'_

"But... he wasn't thrilled to hear from me either. He made it clear that I can only see him, not the others. I am to leave them alone."

_'We aren't just some misunderstood reincarnations, Mr. Chiba. We're genuinely crazy. We're vulnerable. We only have a thin shield between our reality and you. We can't afford it to scatter.'_

"He doesn't trust your intentions, right? Of course not. Kunzite isn't the trusting type. Especially when you 'said something that could get him in trouble'. What kind of trouble?"

Mamoru sighed.

"It seems like the whole former Dark Kingdom shares a house there. They found each other, and stuck together. But one of them is a girl of 17 years. She was placed there by court oder, obviously her parents handle the news that she was serving a demon so well. But now that girl's parents have heard of Kunzite and Mercury. Now it's all about how dangerous he is for a young girl. They're going to sue him.

Their lawyer called me and was really unpleasant and I let him provoke me. He made me admit that I knew Kunzite."

"So? How could that get him in trouble?"

"I don't know. But that lawyer was so damn smug about it. I could have proved that Mr. Kuhn is a liar. That's why I want to see Mr. Kuhn and offer him help. I don't want that the only time they ever heard of me is when it's directed against them."

Minako fell silent and Mamoru waited patiently.

Although their days as Sailor senshi were over, Minako still was very protective of Usagi. She was also a good judge of character. In show biz an instinct for intrigues and people's intentions was vital. He couldn't take Usagi there without Minako's approval, but most of all, he hoped for her help.

"I want to see all the reports from your private investigator," she said. "I want to meet this guy first."

Mamoru shook his head. "No. I'm trying to build some trust here. He only agreed to meet me, so only I will go see him. I'll ask him to meet Usagi, too. But that's asking a lot already. I don't want him to feel cornered.

I'll give you copies of all reports I have on him. Please read them and tell me what you make of them. Your opinion will matter a lot to me."

"You're going to be very, very, very careful about this, Mamoru, right?"

"Of course!"


	3. Sandwiches with Karl

"This town is so pretty!" exclaimed Usagi and beamed at Mamoru. "Look at all those half timbered houses. It looks like a fairy tale, but real people live in there."

Mamoru only murmured something absent minded.

"Are you nervous, Mamoru?"

He smiled, a bit embarrassed.

"A bit. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. He was so reluctant to see me..."

"But he agreed to meet you. And if he's anything like the Kunzite we know, he wouldn't be shy to tell you if he didn't want to do something."

"I don't know. I don't know him at all. I have no idea what he's like."

"That's why we're here, right? Now come on, it's only a few more hours, and you'll get to know him. It'll be alright. Of course he'll have doubts about you. He was diagnosed with a mental disorder because he remembers being Kunzite and hating you. And now you turn up and say, hey, I'm real, want me to come over?"

"I hope I don't get him in trouble by coming."

"But he said yes! He said yes, come over, let's talk. He wants to see you, Mamoru. I know it!"

Mamoru sighed. Yes, Karl Kuhn had agreed to see him, but there were so many ways the meeting could go wrong... and the last thing he wanted was make things worse. He was here to support them, but they would have to let him.

Usagi took his elbow and dragged him along.

"I'm hungry! Let's go see the farmer's market and find something to eat!"

It wasn't a big market, but busy with people shopping groceries, and the historic market place was charming.

Mamoru had to admit that he liked the farmer's market. Usagi would always be drawn to any place that combined crowds and sales, and he let her drag him along. The sun was shining, there was a lot to see, people were in a good mood, it made for a good distraction. That was, until he suddenly stopped abruptly and stared at a small gardener's stall. They were only a few steps away from it, and he could see the man in the purple apron who sold various herbal things very, very clearly. He looked exactly like on the photos the private detective had taken of him.

Usagi looked at him questioningly when he resisted the tug on his arm.

"That's him," he said.

The man behind the stall had looked up at the sound of his voice and stared back.

He was tall and had the look of a man who spent much time outside. Long brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail in his neck.

He had had a friendly smile on when he talking to his customer, but now he looked very surprised.

"He's seen us," said Usagi uncomfortably.

Mamoru sighed. I should have thought of it that he could be on the farmer's market when he runs a nursery, he thought.

"That's not how I wanted to meet him, ambush him like that."

"We have to say hello to him," said Usagi. "Come on, we can't just stand and stare."

They walked over to the stall, and it was very awkward when they finally stood there and searched for something to say.

"Err, hello Mr Kuhn," said Mamoru finally. "I'm very sorry, we didn't plan to intrude like this..."

"No need to be so formal. It's Karl," said the gardener in good Japanese with a heavy accent. "And don't worry about it, it's nice to meet you. But we should break it carefully to..."

"Sawaruna!" yelled someone angrily, in a voice so loud and commanding that people seemed to be swept away by the power of the sound waves alone.

It was a teenage girl, about Usagi's age, with a big purple apron like Karl's, who suddenly came running over to them, trembling and panting, and yelling more perfect Japanese at them.

"Go away! I won't let you get him!"

"Hannah, it's okay," said Karl in a calming voice. "They come as friends. This time, no one's going to be hurt. I promise."

Hannah turned her head towards him.

"You see them too?" she whispered horrified.

"They're real, Hannah," he said.

"No... they can't be... it always starts like this..."

Hannah turned her head back to Mamoru. His gaze caught hers, and her dark eyes opened wide.

Her mouth formed for a voiceless "Ma...".

Then she turned and ran.

"Hannah!" called Karl after her. "Bleib bei mir!"

Surprisingly, the girl stopped at the end of the marketplace, tightly closed fists pressing against her thighs, her head lowered, looking like she could dash away again every second.

Karl came from behind his stall and went after her. His step was uneven, and he used a cane in his right hand, but he walked quite fast with it.

He reached the girl and they started arguing with each other, too far away and in German so Usagi and Mamoru couldn't really make out what they were saying.

Usagi leaned against Mamoru's arm.

"Oh no, we scared them," she said regretfully. "Is this the girl?"

"Yes. That's her. But I don't know which one out of the Dark Kingdom she is."

"It's pretty obvious who's Kunzite," said Usagi, watching Karl who was loud and demanding, but controlled enough to never make a move that could make the girl run away again.

Mamoru smiled a small smile. "Pretty much, yes. But she? I have an idea, but from the way she dashes and yells at him, she could just as well be Nephrite."

"From the way she was looking at you, I'd rather say teenage Beryl," said Usagi with a jealous pout.

Now Mamoru was scared for a moment, too.

"I hope not."

"Come on, Mamoru, we can't have the guys lose sales over us turning up here. Let's do the market stall for him!"

"Erm, Usagi, really, we can't..."

"Yes, we can, and we will! This mess is our fault, we have to make good! Here, you do the English, I do the smiles!"

She pulled Mamoru behind the stall with her, and he didn't really have a chance to refuse. She found a spare apron and tied it around his waist.

"This one has flowers on it," he complained. "Little flowers. Lots of them."

Usagi beamed at him.

"You look so cool in it! Karl had the little flowers too! So cute! Now tell me what it is we're selling here. Sandwiches. Fresh herbs, dried herbs and herbal tea? And... soap?"

"I can't read this stuff either. It's not in English."

"Then we'll just take some lucky guesses. And now for a more friendly appearance, you need to put a smile on, Mamoru! And I'll put this off." She took off the light summer jacket she had worn and determinedly adjusted the V-neck of her t-shirt.

Mamoru complained again, but Usagi dismissed it with a move of her chin.

"But Mamoru, don't you remember what Minako said? When Germans see an Asian face, they think that Genghis Khan or Attila the Hun are invading their country again!"

"I'm sure that was a joke! And I don't think Attila the Hun wore a flowery apron on his armoury."

"We better not take a chance and mess up Karl's market day. Smile, Mamoru, come on! Look, we've already got customers!"

"Oh, great," grumbled Mamoru.

"Guten Taaaaag! Special sale today!" Usagi started calling, scraping together her best English. "Very healthy! Buy only here! Good prices!"

To Mamoru's surprise, Usagi sold some packaged herbs to the first customers in no time.

Then she decided to try the sandwiches that were on display too. Fresh cheese, fresh herbs, and they smelled like fresh bread, too.

"Ooooooooooooooooh!" squealed Usagi and took another bite, gushing some excited word bits in excitement. "I can't believe it. These are so good! Mamoru, you must try them!"

It had been a while that Mamoru had seen one of Usagi's foodgasms. She was loud. She was hopping up and down. She flailed her free hand. She attracted customers.

She was unbelievable.

So Mamoru let her feed him the rest of her sandwich.

It turned out people liked that. Usagi sold them a lot of sandwiches.

She could have sold them all, if she hadn't reserved one of each kind for herself.

"So, are you friends of Kunz?" asked one of the customers who spoke English.

"Err... Kunz?" echoed Mamoru. Kunz? _Kunz?_

The customer nodded. "He talks a lot about Japan. Must be great for him to have friends coming over."

"Err, yeah," said Mamoru, trying to sound casual. "We wanted to see how he's doing. Why does he have that nickname?"

The customer laughed. "Inherited it with the nursery, I guess. His grandfather has been a Kunz already."

"Ah."

From their distance, Karl and Hannah had stopped arguing and watched them as far as this was possible through the crowd of people on the market. They looked quite surprised.

Finally, Karl and Hannah came back, Hannah somewhat calmer, but still stiff from fear and rage, and the prospect of drama written all over her face.

"Sorry about this," said Karl when they arrived. "Hannah, greet our guests."

"Ich hab die nicht eingeladen!"

"Hannah." Just that, impatient, but not threatening.

"Na schoen, guten Tag," she spat.

"Hannah, we'll speak in their language so they can understand us. There's no need to be rude."

"Die kommen zu dir, nicht zu mir. Die sollen mich bloss in Ruhe lassen. Red selber mit ihnen."

Hannah gave them a long, cold stare and walked right past them.

Hannah didn't go far. She dropped on the nearest bench, hugged her knees, buried her head in her arms and started to cry.

Karl was still angry, but for now left her alone and returned to his market stall, taking his place behind the cash register.

"I'm sorry," he said, while he busied himself wiping his hands clean and arranging the remaining merchandise. "I didn't tell anyone about you. Seeing any of you hasn't been good news in the past. I didn't want her to find out about you like this."

"I'm sorry," said Usagi.

"Don't be. Hannah is old enough to know we don't take our private business to the market. We have a sale to run here."

Usagi glared at Karl accusingly, but he only raised the corner of his mouth to the shadow of a smirk they knew too well.

"We are who we are," he said. "And we're dealing with it, every day. Sometimes it's easier, sometimes it's not. We haven't been summoned for a while, but we know things can change any time. That's how it is. We still need to get a grip every day. And especially Hannah can't afford to lose her grip now."

Mamoru turned his head to watch the girl uneasily. The Dark Kingdom had tested him, his strength and compassion, and he had failed. He had fallen for Metallia like everyone else. He had wanted to save them all, and he had saved no one. And certainly not this one.

He hadn't even thought he'd get a chance to meet Hannah. Karl had been very clear on the phone that this would not be a good idea.

Still, he had imagined how it would go. He had been prepared for rejection, mistrust, accusations. He hadn't been prepared for that look of utter terror in her eyes.

"Will she accept any help from me at all?" he asked Karl.

Karl sighed. "I don't know," he said. "But... it doesn't matter."

He gave Mamoru a reassuring smile. "She doesn't really need our help, you know. She's a strong one. This is just our last chance to act as if we had a say in anything she does before she's a legal adult, so let's not waste it. But let's not have illusions either. Hannah makes her own decisions, and fights them through. She'll bend worlds if she has to. You don't have to worry about her."

"Then how about you?" asked Mamoru, turning his attention back to the gardener. "Will you accept help from me?"

Karl's grin became a familiar smirk again, and his eyes darted to the goods on sale for a moment.

"As you've been doing quite well in sales, I'll accept your help for the market right now."

Mamoru smiled. But when Karl turned away to serve the next customers, a voice in his head groaned.

_Come on,_ it groaned. _I've had a private detective observing you. You have so many problems that he didn't even know where to start. _

_You agreed to see me because you know I can help. _

But it wouldn't help to urge anything upon this man. If Mamoru wanted them all to trust him, he had to play along Kun-... Karl's rules.

You've gone far enough, had that smirk said.

Mamoru sighed.

It was just like on the phone. Karl Kuhn wasn't unreasonable, wasn't rude. But at the same he held this nosy Japanese guy at bay. And all that nosy Japanese guy could do at the moment was being there and trying not to ruin it entirely. At least Karl hadn't run off or yelled at him. So far.

Karl started ordering him around using sentences that started with "At _my _market stall, we...", and assigning him customers.

Mamoru suddenly came aware that even for such such a simple task as selling stuff, a certain level of proficiency was expected, and a certain chatty, easygoing attitude with the customers, and that he had better provided both if he wanted to leave a good impression.

Usagi who would have been naturally good at this had tactfully retreated when Karl had reclaimed his place.

Mamoru was on his own.

With a man who expected him to memorize words like "Pfefferminzblaetter" and "Petersilienstraeusschen" and gave him old grannies as customers who didn't speak a word of any language he'd ever heard.

But somehow, it felt great.

A customer asked about Hannah.

Usagi and Mamoru didn't fully understand Karl's answer, but they knew what "emo" meant, and they knew the little smirk that went with it.

Usagi didn't find it funny.

There sat the girl who they had scared badly, and she still sobbed occasionally.

Usagi watched her. Could she be Mio?

They didn't resemble each other.

Mio had always been very elegant and glamourous. Under the big purple apron, Hannah wore solid boots, jeans and t-shirt, which were probably her working clothes. Her own style might be more elegant, but somehow, Usagi doubted it.

Hannah's face didn't resemble Mio either. Hannah and had a chin length asymmetric hair cut that looked like it could be straight from the streets of Tokyo, but there was nothing remotely Mio in her appearance. Unlike Mio, she didn't always look like she was posing for a magazine, although she did have the same sense for drama and was very good at making Usagi feel guilty in her presence.

But Karl didn't resemble Kunzite either, well, perhaps a bit, with his long hair in a pony tail, and his commanding presence. But he didn't look so... well, deadly. He looked quite sociable and nice, chatting with his clients, or teaching Mamoru German words that were a hundred syllables long. He didn't resemble Shin either. He was a different person.

Of course he would look different, and so would Hannah.

What if she really was Mio?

Usagi had often seen Mio sad.

Mio had been trying to hurt her, but Usagi had always felt that Mio's loneliness and her desire to have a friend were genuine.

Hannah hadn't tried to hurt her, but she sure needed a friend right now.

Usagi knew that Mamoru had come here with a lot of heavy issues of the past on his mind. He hadn't been the same since the name "Kunzite" had been out, and hadn't really been able to think of anything else than finding that man in Germany.

He felt he owed him. Usagi wasn't so certain about that.

And what did it matter anyway who they were?

Today, they had ruined Hannah's market day.

Today, they had to make good for that.

Usagi went over to Hannah and sat down next to her. Although she wouldn't put her feet on the seat like Hannah had done with her boots.

"I'm really sorry that this is so painful for you," Usagi said in Japanese. "We don't want to hurt any of you. We were just hoping we could get to know you, and probably make friends."

Hannah didn't show any sign she had understood or even heard her.

Usagi was a bit at a loss about what to do next. She felt she should hug her like she would do with her friends, but then, on the other hand, Hannah was already upset seeing her and possibly wouldn't want any further contact.

Usagi decided to resort to desperate matters though, and dashed back to get The Chocolate Box out of her bag. Her insurance against homesickness. No matter how much Mamoru had made fun of her and told her there was certainly enough chocolate in Germany, she knew she had to have these with her.

She reverently opened the box and held it towards Hannah.

"Here, take some, aren't they cute? Aino Minako's new candy line. I've got the Nako Nako set too, but the hearts are my favourites. Just looking at them makes me feel better already. And they're delicious!"

And it turned out that Hannah understood this well, may it be the Japanese or the gesture or Usagi's huge, insistent smile. She gave Usagi a quick look from the corner of her eyes, and then took one of the little chocolate hearts and put it in her mouth.

Usagi did the same, and then they sat there eating chocolate and watching the people on the market.

"Es gibt jemanden, den ich sehr liebhabe," said Hannah suddenly. "Wir wollen heiraten."

Usagi didn't understand a word, but then Hannah held up something that had dangled under her t-shirt from a necklace. It was a pretty silver ring with light blue aquamarine stone in it, and now Usagi thought she understood.

"You're engaged?" she asked in Japanese.

Hannah nodded.

"Ich moechte sagen koennen 'Nichts und niemand auf der Welt ist mir wichtiger als du.' Und dann kommt ihr wieder mit diesem Japan Scheiss." She wiped her eyes.

Usagi had understood at least two key words in this one.

"I'm really sorry," she said.

"Ist nicht deine Schuld. Ich weiß ich bin bloed. Ich weiß es bringt nichts sich aufzuregen. It's a joke. It's always been me who told the others to accept the heritage of our memories, to accept it as a gift even when our real lives fall apart. I'm so glad I'm crazy and can be with my other sweet crazies. They're my babies, you know. And now I sit here and cry because I forgot that being crazy sometimes hurts like hell... stupid Hannah. Stupid Hannah."

Usagi didn't know what to say. Hannah's Japanese was stunning, she didn't have Karl's heavy accent and the words had just poured out of her, perfectly nuanced to make clear how scared and unsettled she was.

Somehow, this sign of acceptance, finally speaking to Usagi in her language, made Usagi feel even worse about it.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked.

Hannah buried her head in her arms again.

"Please don't be real. Please melt away like a snowflake before the others see you. Summon me, if you have to, but tell him to leave the others alone. I'm young, I can always start over. Take me, and leave them."

She groaned and lifted her head enough to peek over her arms to the men.

"But he has no reason to trust me, right? And I'm not strong enough to be a help in danger. I'm being stupid again. Of course he's come for Kunzite. I can see that."

Usagi sighed and followed Hannah's gaze to the market stall where Karl and Mamoru worked hand in hand, as if they had never done anything else.

"We didn't come for Kunzite," she said. "We won't summon anyone. We're only here to see how you're doing."

"Perhaps you're not even here. You could be any random tourist from Japan, and I see_ them_ in you. Or you could be_ them_ and an escort to the other side. It always started like this. Things popping up in my world that have no place there. And suddenly I'm back in the Dark Kingdom again."

Hannah slowly turned her head to Usagi.

"Have you really not come to take me with you?" she asked.

Usagi shook her head.

"Any of us?"

Usagi shook her head again.

"Really?"

Usagi nodded emphatically.

"I don't mind the subspace dimensions. But I'm not really keen on seeing any of them dying for you lot again, you know. Even if it's just a hallucination."

Usagi nodded again. "Me neither."

Hannah sighed deeply.

"You know what, princess? I want you to be real, although it's almost impossible that you are."

"I'm sorry, but I think I am real."

Hannah turned her head and looked at the Japanese girl by her side, and there was a small smirk on her face.

"I know you're real. I read your blog. I just don't know if you're really here."

"What?" Usagi couldn't help laughing, although it was in shock. "You knew about me?"

Hannah made a face. "Of course I know about you. I know your real name, I know where you live, and you use your real name online. It really wasn't hard to find you. Also, I've already been a member of Aino Minako's fan club before you started writing for the club zine."

"Really? You're a member?"

A guy their age was attracted by their chatter, came over to them and stared at them.

When they ignored him, he rudely interrupted them.

"Hey, Hannah, seit wann kannst denn du Chinesisch?"

Hannah shot him a cold look.

"Seit ich irre bin. Alle Irren koennen das," she snapped.

"Who's that?" whispered Usagi.

"Just some idiot from school. Ignore him."

The guy didn't like being ignored.

He looked Usagi up and down.

"Da hast du dich ja nicht gerade verbessert. An einem deutschen Maedel ist doch mehr dran."

Hannah lept up from the bench, fists clenched and yelled at him with a ferocity that peeled plaster chips off walls on the other end of the market place.

"Aufs Maul, oder was?"

Usagi flinched, and the boy retreated several steps.

Then he thought it'd be cool to open his mouth again.

"Weisst, du, was dein Problem ist, Hannah? Du gehoerst einfach mal richtig..."

A hand fell heavily on his shoulder.

Karl purred something in a low voice and the guy fell silent.

Hannah wanted to hiss something rude, but Karl shook his head.

"Hannah, be polite. He's a customer."

"Der hat hier nichts gekauft!"

"But his mother buys regularily. And he'll apologize."

Hannah glared, but left it at that.

Karl said something to the guy, pointing to Mamoru with his cane, and Usagi was certain she had understood 'Karate'.

The guy threw the astonished Mamoru a fearful glance, then murmured an apology to Usagi, but Karl's hand still stayed on his shoulder.

Karl poured some more explanations into the guy's ear, then he patted him on the shoulder and let go of him.

The guy made an embarrassed step forwards, hinted on a 1-cm-bow, and apologized in Japanese.

"And... your boobs are pretty," he added in shaky, badly remembered Japanese words.

"Danke schoen!" said Usagi with a friendly smile.

The guy made a fast exit.

"Sorry about that," said Hannah when she dropped back next to Usagi. "Small town nazi scum. Think the whole world owes them. Forget him," she said, and with a quick side glance and a grin she added: "And your boobs really are pretty."

Usagi had secretly envied Hannah's, but wasn't really prepared to discuss that kind of topic, so all she could answer was an embarrassed "...uhm, yours, too..."

Hannah grinned. "They are, huh? But they don't sell as many sandwiches as yours."

"Uhm... thanks for defending me."

"Any time, princess."

"Just Usagi, please."

Karl came over and sat on Hannah's other side.

"Better?" he asked.

Hannah sighed deeply and put her head on his shoulder. Karl put his arm around her.

This looked like it came perfectly natural to them, and it made feel Usagi uncomfortable. She thought she should be glad that someone was finally hugging Hannah, but at the same time, it wrote those two solidly onto the good side. And Usagi was not prepared for that at all. Which was a bit embarrassing, actually. Also, it was a bit awkward to be the only one not part of the hug here. Not that she... and she didn't even... but still...

For a while, Karl and Hannah sat there together, watching Mamoru chat with the clients of the stall. It was clear that they all came for gossip first, herbs second, and Mamoru who wasn't a chatty person, but determined to prove himself to Karl, stuttered through more casual conversations in a quarter of an hour than he had had in the whole year.

Of course Usagi found it cute and admirable and adorable, and she was very proud of him. She was relieved to see that there was a little smile on Karl's face, too. Even Hannah looked less sad.

"He's really there?" she asked. "They all can see him?"

"M-hm."

"But... what if... I mean... what if he's not real and it's all starting again? What if you're actually lying on the ground, unconscious and bleeding and summoned to who knows where, and I'm not coming to help you because I don't see it...?"

New tears filled her eyes.

Karl let out a soothing hum.

"Nothing has happened. I'm here, okay? It's all real."

"I'm still not convinced."

"Looks pretty convincing to me. Doesn't howl like he's possessed by a youma either."

"He'd better not hurt the poor youma if he is," sulked Hannah.

Karl chuckled and pulled her closer.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked.

"Hmph," made Hannah. "You knew they were coming, right? And didn't say a word to anyone. You promised! We all promised that we deal with these things together. You had no right to do that behind our backs. I should bash your fucking face in, you cheating loony."

Karl chuckled again and kissed the top of her head.

"Probably," he said.

Hannah sighed deeply.

"Can't you at least apologize like normal people?"

"Hm, I don't see any normal people around. Just superheroes and super-villains."

"And a super idiot."

"Will you forgive me?"

"No. First I want to see Marina tear you to pieces for this. And spit on them."

Karl sighed, but he didn't sound very worried. "I guess she will, huh?"

Usagi felt extremely uncomfortable now eavesdropping like this.

"Guys, you don't have to speak Japanese because of me when you have something private to discuss," she said.

"It's okay. We always speak Japanese when it gets private," said Karl. "It's our superpower."

Hannah sighed and shook Karl's arm off.

"I guess it's no use," she sighed. "Better get it over with."

She got up and walked over to the stall.

She breathlessly stared at Mamoru until she found the courage to offer him a trembling hand.

"Hi, I'm Hannah," she said, "and that's my spare apron you're wearing." She drew a shaky breath. "Looks good on you though."

Mamoru took her outstretched hand and smiled. Usagi and Karl had followed Hannah, but kept enough distance not to make it look like interfering.

"Hi, I'm Mamoru. It's good to meet you. I'm sorry about the circumstances."

"It's not your fault."

Mamoru tried to think of things to say. He had come all this way to meet them, because he wanted to protect them, and now she stood there and hardly got in enough air from expecting him to do... what?

Hannah still held his hand.

"You're real," she said when she finally let go of it.

"Yes."

"Or so I hope."

"So do I."

Hannah looked at him for an uncomfortably long while.

"I chose the Dark Kingdom over you."

She said it in a flat voice.

Mamoru didn't dare to break the eye contact.

This still weren't the accusations he had expected. This was... not exactly a pledge for forgiveness either.

This was a fact. And it didn't come with an apology.

It didn't have to.

"I chose challenging Metallia over you," he replied.

For a moment, Hannah looked at him in wide-eyed surprise.

It can't be, thought Mamoru, has she never thought of it like this before? Or hasn't she expected me to admit it?

Then the girl grinned.

"Yeah, that was kind of dumb," she said, mischief sparkling in her eyes.

It had been ages since Mamoru had seen this trollish sparkle.

A part of him was starting to bubble up in joy.

The rest of him seriously suffered from hurt pride.

"Absolutely!" confirmed Usagi, her hands resolutely on her hips.

Mamoru's pride cringed some more. Worse than botching a fight with a demon was having your girlfriend judge you, namely if said girlfriend had wiped the floor with the same demon afterwards.

"All three of you were being no help whatsoever at saving the world. But I have forgiven you already. So you're all really very, very lucky."

"Hm!" Karl knew how to put tons of resentment into a tiny sound, and he and Mamoru shared a harassed look.

Hannah turned to Usagi with a little incredulous smile.

"Really?" she asked.

And when Usagi nodded emphatically, Hannah laughed happily.

She turned back to Mamoru.

"There's something... I think the others want to meet you, too. Would you two like to come home with us and say hello?"

That was more than what Mamoru had expected, and if he was honest, more then he thought he deserved, too.

Did she really mean it? Was it a good idea?

"Is it really okay?" he asked Karl.

Karl cocked his head to the side in a way that was very familiar.

"I'd like to give it a try," he said.

Mamoru knew that undertone.

It meant that there was going to be trouble.

It meant that Mamoru would have to prove himself, and Karl certainly wouldn't be the one to make things easy for him.

Mamoru's face lit up.

"Me too," he answered.


End file.
